Remote-controllable devices and systems are increasingly being installed in properties and homes. The purpose of the systems is to secure and/or maintain such conditions in properties, so that living in them is both safe and pleasant. The spectrum of remote-controlled on remote-monitored devices is wide. The same property may have devices from several suppliers. These devices can often not communicate directly with one another. It is also common that each system has its operation logic, the remote controlling of which requires the use of a particular data communications solution.
Building service suppliers have lately started to solve the problem very generally by ordering from an operator for the customer target its own, separately costing additional connection, which contains certain target-specific agreed-on features and must be separately maintained, either via a telephone network or a broadband network, which broadband network can be a permanent of wireless 2G/3G network broadband connection. Most suppliers have found this to be the easiest mode of operation for them at the moment, even though it contains several problem points.
If a new additional connection is provided for the target, data communications matters must often be agreed upon separately with an administrator of the local intranet. The intranet administrator probably has to make additional network configurations for the connection, so that establishing a remote connection can succeed.
Often one must wait for an additional connection, especially a permanent network connection, for a long time, even many weeks. When the connection is finally received, it often does not work in the way agreed upon when ordering it from the operator, and one must negotiate about repair procedures and wait for the operator to act in the matter.
Operators still promise too much, when talking about the operation of wireless broadband connections. When the remote target is connected to the new wireless connection and it does not work correctly, prolonged and time-consuming, costly and on all parts draining negotiations are mostly ahead.
Additionally operators strive to commit customers to being connection users by lumping together the connection, a modem and for example a 24-month mandatory use time. Not all users however are willing to participate in this, but often want to “hold the reigns themselves”.
One can try to solve remote use of the target also with an application-specific solution. Thus the device supplier can buy from the operator its own radio network and form in it a private access point name (APN), which determines data communications settings in GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)/HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access) networks. By using APN settings, and Internet connection is provided via a wireless 2G/3G/4G network to the devices in the target. In such cases the user must pay separately for the connection and for the interface modems and programs enabling its remote use. Often such an additional connection cannot or may not be used for more than one use purpose, for example for the remote use of devices supplied by the building service supplier. Additionally operators nowadays generally limit the maximum amount of data transfer in such connections, which when exceeded may cause large additional invoices for the connection owner.
In housing cooperative type targets, which have several properties, the properties may be connected to “remote use” occurring only within the intranet formed between the properties. No real remote contact is obtained for such targets, if the remote contact user is physically elsewhere than in one of the properties in question in the intranet.